Gentle Reminders

This week on the blog, it's all about re-purposing bill envelopes.

Bill envelopes are blah on the outside, but if turned inside out, they have these cute preppy prints. They're great to use for scrapbooks or to jot down some words of wisdom:

Line them up on a blank wall or frame them to 

give to a friend. TADA! 

Bill Envelope Make-Over

Hello there! Thanks a lot for coming over today.

I'm sure that like me, you find bills in your mailbox that come in these white envelopes. Quite blah. But did you ever try looking at the lining inside?

They're usually printed in shades of blue, gray and black -- it keeps the contents private. Seeing these prints gets me into "recycling" overdrive! All this week, I'll show you how we can turn these envelopes from blah to TADA!

Today, I'm trying my hand at paper cuts.

I'll use these dandelions as inspiration. I like them because when you blow on one, you're allowed to make a wish. 

My first try at paper cutting was pretty simple. I trimmed the envelope into a square. Then I drew a few dandelions. With an X-acto knife, I cut around the stem and petals. 

Instead of cutting out the petals entirely, I left them attached at the center. Then I lifted each petal for a two-dimensional effect.

Presenting my little creation. TADA!

Maybe I'll glue this to a sheet and display it on a bulletin board. It will be my reminder that recycling, trying something new, and making wishes is always TADA!

Bottled Memories

Today, we step out of the kitchen and into the craft room to turn an old jar from blah to TADA!

This was once home to some velvety cocoa almond spread. After cleaning it out, here's what we can do with it to skip the recycling bin:

Turn it into a memory jar! In the background is a sketch of St. Mark's Square in Venice. Wine corks from the trip only add to the story of "A Summer in Italy".

Here's another one from a beach vacation. TADA!

Have a fun weekend, lovelies!

Time for Iced Tea

I've been to a few restaurants that use a bottle like this to serve water:

I find them quite adorable. It's no surprise that when my husband brought one home {sneakily grabbed from a conference}, I was ecstatic! Here's what I use it for:

I brew some black tea {maybe add a bit of honey and a hint of lemon} and let it cool in the refrigerator. It's so refreshing on a hot day. 

It's prefect to take on a picnic, too! TADA!

Drink Your Veggies

Thanks for visiting me today! If you've been tuning in, it's all about giving jars and bottles a makeover.  

Today's blah is this juice bottle.

I've been experimenting with green juices and this works as a handy container if I want to drink it on the go. Or if I've made a big batch, a bunch of these bottles can be stored in the fridge {but consumed in 24-48 hours to get the maximum nutrients}. 

This one's made with coconut water, spinach, cucumber, Granny Smith apple, ginger and lemon. You'll notice the pulp -- I used a food processor since I don't own a juicer.  You'll find a few easy recipes here.

The color may be quite blah, 

but the benefits are TADA! 

Milk Bottle Love

What comes to mind when you see this:

It's a milk bottle made of glass! It brings me back to the past when milk was delivered right to your door. That was so long ago, but I'm delighted that some dairy farms still sell milk in these babies.

Once the milk is consumed, I like to reuse it to hold drinking water. To make the water even more TADA!, I infuse some flavor -- I add lemon.

I remove the skins with a peeler, juice the lemon and add these to the water. I tried using lemon slices but including the pith {white membrane} makes the water bitter.

I store this in the fridge and replenish with new lemon peel and juice after a few days. Lately, I've been starting my day with a glass of lemon water {diluted with some warm water so it's easier on the body} for its wonderful health benefits! 

A new use for an old bottle, flavored water and being mindful of our health...that's blah to TADA!

Jars and Bottles

Happy new week dear friends! This week, we're turning empty jars and bottles from blah to TADA!

Let's start with this yogurt container. I'll admit, I bought it, first, for the the packaging and, second, for the flavor.  Cute and yummy fall in the criteria of my food choices!

I know that in Europe, glass yogurt jars are a common sight. Not here in the US. Most of them come in plastic tubs. I guess that'll explain why I'm swooning over this.

I'm reusing it as a sugar jar {this is coconut palm sugar}. Sugar usually comes in big packs or unattractive boxes, I thought decanting it in a smaller container would be more practical. 

It's just right for an afternoon coffee break.

TADA!